Rice Partnership LLC Buys 13,039 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Rice Partnership LLC grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 652.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 15,039 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 13,039 shares during the period. Rice Partnership LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,896,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of UPS. Cigna Investments Inc. New increased its position in United Parcel Service by 1.0% in the third quarter. Cigna Investments Inc. New now owns 7,508 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,024,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Pacific Sage Partners LLC increased its position in United Parcel Service by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Pacific Sage Partners LLC now owns 1,677 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $212,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Banco Santander S.A. increased its position in United Parcel Service by 0.6% in the third quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 12,596 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,717,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Gleason Group Inc. increased its position in United Parcel Service by 1.2% in the third quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,576 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $897,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tradewinds LLC. increased its position in United Parcel Service by 1.8% in the third quarter. Tradewinds LLC. now owns 4,487 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $612,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

NYSE UPS opened at $114.19 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $128.31 and its 200 day moving average price is $130.16. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $109.62 and a twelve month high of $158.95. The company has a market capitalization of $97.45 billion, a PE ratio of 16.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.13% and a net margin of 6.35%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.47 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.61 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.71%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is presently 96.45%.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,249,229.86. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UPS has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $158.00 to $149.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $166.00 to $147.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $141.95.

United Parcel Service Company Profile

United Parcel Service, Inc, a package delivery company, provides transportation and delivery, distribution, contract logistics, ocean freight, airfreight, customs brokerage, and insurance services. It operates through two segments, U.S. Domestic Package and International Package. The U.S. Domestic Package segment offers time-definite delivery of express letters, documents, small packages, and palletized freight through air and ground services in the United States.